Editor’s comments: “…How the loss of lean muscle is killing millions.” Really? First, we’ve heard about it. Provide some clinical references to substantiate this statement, please.

Regarding your comments on the “downsides”; apparently you think it’s OK for people to lie to you and take your money, as long as you obtain the results you were hoping for. Here’s the thing; we don’t know what’s in hCG drops, but one thing we know that is not in them is hCG. In our book, that makes the people who sell hCG drops scam artists, an no – it is not OK. And yes, the diet protocol will work just fine on its own.

When I first went on the diet, I stayed on it the entire 6 week period and lost 37 pounds, then did the 6 weeks maintenance required to re-target the metabolism. Now when I use the drops, I stay on them approximately 2 weeks and go back on the maintenance for the required amount of time.

The entire diet has to be read to understand how it works. I read several of the testimonials and did not see any of them explain why the diet works. Yes, when you consume 500 calories, you will lose weight, but what the HCG does is keep your body from going into the starvation mode. When your body uses the calorie intake, it then goes into the brown fat and starts burning it, thus the continued weight loss. I have now lost a total of 47 pounds and feel and look so much better. I would still like to lose 10 more pounds and with the drops I know I can do it. It works the same for me each time I start the program.

It seems like I have more energy when on the drops. I do have low blood sugar and realize that a low carb diet is what works best for my body, and this could be the reason for my boost of energy. The only side effect of the low caloric intake I have found is that my stamina is not very high….so I sit down a few minutes and get up and go again. Bottom line is this diet works over, and over for me.

Editor’s comments: Real hCG is a prescription medication that is applied via intramuscular injection (and there’s no evidence that it prevents your body from going into starvation mode). hCG drops are a scam; they do NOT contain hCG – even if you could buy the drug legally in drop form, without a prescription, there’s no evidence it can be delivered effectively via sublingual administration. Sorry, but you’ve been had.

See the article on hCG drops for more.

Editor’s comments: There’s no set rule on this – it’s largely an individual thing. That said, you will probably lose a lot of lean muscle mass on a calorie level this low. From the body’s point of view, muscle (which is metabolically active, meaning it in needs calories to sustain it) is the greatest liability in times of starvation – which for all your body knows is what you’re enduring now.

The second course didn’t go as well. My family and I moved from Ireland to Germany (maybe not the best time to do a weightloss programme…) and I started cheating in week3. Added another week of low cal eating, but eventually caved in completely – still lost 6kg, but it was a real struggle. My verdict: HCG is amazing, I’m the lowest I’ve been for over 10 years. BUT – you have to take it seriously and stick with it properly!! It’s a lot of hard work and dedication BUT ONLY FOR SIX WEEKS, not months!!

Editor’s comments: Your results are attributable to the low calorie diet only; hCG drops are a scam – they do not contain any hCG, which is a prescription drug administered via intramuscular injection. See the hCG homeopathic diet drops article for more info.

I have been reading through the comments and see some talk about lost muscle mass.

Does anyone know if weight training would help with that problem?

Editor’s comments: On a 500 calorie per day diet. it’s unlikely you can do much about this, regardless of whether you weight train or not.

I think that most people out there care more about how much hCG actually helps them rather than the conclusions of some “clinical studies.” And that’s where you’re meeting so much resistance. People come to this site to see consumer comments, which are inherently going to contain anecdotes. It’s hypocritical that you invite people to write comments on a topic and then continuously undermine those comments by adding your notes saying their experiences don’t count since they are merely anecdotal. That kind of thing tends to irritate people. But you don’t have to listen to me; this is just another anecdote so it has no value at all.

Editor’s comments: It’s not hypocritical to point this out, when the mandate of this site is as much to educate as it is a place to provide comments. Obviously, you have not bothered to take the time to discover the mandate of this site.

Second, neither of us have any way to authenticate ANY of the comments on this site – which means they could be completely manufactured by people with a financial conflict of interest in the sale or promotion of hCG. That’s another reason why it’s important to point why the clinical data is entirely consistent in its conclusion that hCG does not outperform a placebo.

At least you’re correct about one thing; your comments and testimonials are entirely anecdotal.

I want to reiterate in my revisit here to all. hCG MUST be prescribed by a competent and experienced physician. hCG is NOT for everyone and its use must be monitored closely. There are negative side effects which can easily be reversed. Anecdotal stories, though can be interesting, are not the reasons to be doing the Protocol. We do not understand yet why the hCG Protocol can work in many individuals. Nor do we understand the long term effects of multiple attempts in using hCG for weight loss so I do not recommend its use for more than one or two times. Never use it to yo-yo your weight. A true plan and support for weight loss management must be in place

Linear thought process in medicine is dangerous. Unfortunately that is how we think in general, that is how us physicians are taught in medical school then beat into us in residency. One plus one is not always 2 in medicine and the management of human physiology. Because there are no studies that support the protocol does not mean it does not have a positive impact or effect for certain individuals. A careful evaluation and approach must be made when contemplating the use of hCG for weight loss.

A quick note to the few references to UCLA and their statements concerning the VLC Diet. Most of these are taken out of context. I know the UCLA Human Nutrition Center VLC Diet very well and the protocol they use there also include supplements that can act in and of themselves to suppress appetite. I believe a great multicenter study can be put together comparing the hCG Protocol to the UCLA VLC Diet and to a simple VLC Diet without supplementation. Would be interesting and helpful The”FDA hCG Blockade” is an unfortunate tool that seems to have a bias I do not quite understand that has inhibited hCG research. Of course no pharmaceutical will provide a grant to an inexpensive generic medication.

UFB is a great site for practical and cautionary advice. I trust it enough to send my patients to the site. Keep up the good work. Just had a little time to kill and didn’t want to break out the books…..

Benjamin S. Gonzalez, MD
Atlantis Medical Wellness Center
http://www.atlantismedispa.com

P.S.

If there is anyone out there who can help us find the money, a grant, for a legitimate study please do not hesitate to call us. If anyone knows of any ongoing studies on this subject please let us know.